Miami Heat’s missed opportunity to sign Derek Fisher might come back to haunt them – NBA Feature
As the Miami Heat prepare to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, they must be looking at one man in the Thunder roster with careful eyes. Not because he is their most important player, but because he might have
been in their team.
Derek Fisher is a veteran to the game of basketball, with a career spanning 15 long years. In that time, he has been part of 5 championship winning teams, which means he has as many championship rings as Kobe Bryant. So when Fisher
was waived by the Houston Rockets a few months ago, where he landed as part of a trade deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets, it was ironic that Miami did not pick him up.
For a team in the hunt for a championship crown, a guy with 5 rings could have brought a great deal of experience and stability. Miami passed the option of having Fisher and he landed in Oklahoma City. Now, as the Heat and the
Thunder get ready to play the NBA Finals, Fisher may play a pivotal role in denying the Heat the elusive championship.
“It just wasn’t the right fit for me,” said Fisher referring to not going to Miami.
Miami team President Pat Riley decided to stick with Norris Cole as the back up to starting point guard Mario Chalmers and passed on the option of having Fisher in the line up.
“Pat’s a straight shooter. He let (me) know they were looking for a big guy, and that they were happy with Norris Cole and Chalmers. So me and my people continued to look at other options and it led me here,” said Fisher.
Norris Cole started off well with the Heat, but had fallen off the map and subsequently the team rotation by the time the team reached the All Star break. In retrospect, the Heat must have thought about the missed opportunity to
land Fisher, who would have been a great asset in the post season.
Fisher saw his career reach a prime with the Los Angeles Lakers, where was a key role player and part of the rotation that saw the Lakers win multiple championships. This season, he struggled as a Laker and did not fit well with
the new line up, forcing Mitch Kupchak to trade him.
He only played 18 games in the regular season for the Thunder and shot 31% while playing 19 minutes a game. But his real worth came forward in the playoffs, where he scored 13 points in 23 minutes in a game against the Spurs and
then scored 9 points in the game 6 victory. He has now become the 7thman for the Thunder, using his experience to mentor the young players and handle pressure in close games.
As the Finals start, Fisher will be a key player for the Thunder in their attempt to win a title in their first Finals appearance. He has been in the NBA Finals on multiple occasions and knows what it takes to handle the pressure
and close out games. When the winner is decided, there is a chance that Miami would be looking back at their decision of not going for Fisher with regret.
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